Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, located on Seavey Island at Kittery, Maine (across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire), was established in 1800 and is the oldest continuously operating US Navy public shipyard. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard specialized in submarine construction beginning in the 1890s and has built or overhauled hundreds of US Navy submarines from WWI-era fleet submarines through WWII Gato/Balao/Tench class fleet submarines and into the nuclear era. The shipyard performed overhaul of nuclear submarines from the Skipjack class onward throughout the Cold War period.

Submarine Construction and Overhaul Asbestos

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s submarine work created multiple asbestos exposure pathways:

  • WWII submarine construction — Portsmouth built numerous Gato class, Balao class, and Tench class diesel-electric submarines during WWII, with submarines constructed with the standard asbestos-containing materials of the era including asbestos pipe covering in steam plant systems, diesel exhaust system insulation, and interior construction materials. Shipyard workers installing these asbestos materials during submarine construction accumulated significant exposure from cutting, fitting, and installing asbestos pipe covering and insulation
  • Nuclear submarine overhaul — Portsmouth Naval Shipyard performed overhaul of nuclear attack submarines from the Skipjack class era (1960s) through subsequent nuclear attack submarine classes. Nuclear submarine overhaul involved removing existing asbestos-insulated steam plant components for access during overhaul, with shipyard workers and Navy personnel working alongside yard forces disturbing asbestos insulation in the confined engineering spaces of nuclear submarines
  • Steam pipe insulation removal and replacement — the primary asbestos exposure during submarine overhaul came from the removal of the submarine’s original asbestos pipe covering and insulation to enable access to the steam plant components being overhauled, with pipecovering crews generating significant asbestos fiber during the stripping of deteriorated asbestos insulation

Shipyard Shop and Building Infrastructure

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s extensive manufacturing and support facilities incorporated asbestos:

  • Machine shop and manufacturing facilities — the machine shops, fabrication buildings, and support facilities at Portsmouth built during the WWII rapid expansion used asbestos-containing construction materials consistent with wartime construction standards
  • Shipyard steam distribution — the shipyard steam distribution system serving the machine shops, drydocks, and manufacturing buildings used asbestos-insulated steam distribution piping throughout the shipyard infrastructure

VA Claims for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from shipyard construction and overhaul work at naval shipyards. Shipyard workers and Navy personnel who performed submarine construction or overhaul work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.